Angel's Watch
by darluvscaryl
Summary: After an unexpected event, Caryl has to figure out how to go on.
1. Chapter 1

This story is a piece of fiction and is strictly for entertainment purposes. All characters, scenes, etc. are strictly the property of TWD and AMC.

As she ran through the trees Carol could feel it was different this time. Ever since Rick set up this morning's run, something had felt off to her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but instead, passed it off as lack of food and sleep. The walker's growls were closer than she originally thought and she pushed on. She knew there had to be three or four walkers behind her and she only had one bullet left along with her knife. "Daryl!" she screamed as loud as she could, "Help me!

Fear grew inside her as she fell into some old fencing that had barbed wire and her clothes became tangled. She pulled and twisted trying to free them, but it only seem to make it worse. Terror filled her screams, "Daryl! Rick! Michonne! Oh God, anyone please help me!"

"Carol!? Where are you?" yelled Daryl as he thrashed through the trees towards the sound of her voice.

"I am over here! Hurry up!" Carol aimed the gun toward the walker coming at her and fired a clean shot right through the skull, sending walker fragments flying. A second and third walker came toward her at the same time which allowed her to pierce the skull of one, but due to her shirt sleeve being caught up, the other walker was able to stumble, fall and scratch her all the way across her stomach. She screamed out in agony at the same time she heard a thud as Daryl's arrow caught the walker's skull. Her armed burned and she began to cry. Daryl got to her, sliced her clothes with his knife and picked her up.

"I am so sorry Carol, I ran as fast as I could when I heard you call my name." Tears began to fill his eyes as he carried her to the car. Rick and Michonne ran up to them. "We have to get her back to the camp right now," said Daryl as he pushed through them.

"What the hell happened?," asked Rick as he gathered up the items they had found on the run and quickly caught up with them. They filed into the car and Rick gunned it down the dirt road.

"It is my fault," said Carol quietly. "Daryl was checking the house and I went out back to check a car that I thought may have gas in it. When I didn't see one, I got deeper into the trees than I realized and ended up caught in some old barbed wire."

Daryl's jaw clenched as he pulled her tighter to him. She snuggled in and just began whispering over and over, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." He caressed her hair and cheek quietly saying, "Sssshhhhh, I am going to take care of you. I promise..." His tears began to fall as he knew what they would soon face.


	2. Chapter 2

This story is strictly fictional and for entertainment purposes only. All characters, scenes, etc. belong to TWD and AMC.

When they got back to camp, Daryl carefully lifted Carol out of the car and carried her up the stairs to the house they were sharing. The group had been lucky enough to find a cluster of houses close together in the safe zone they were looking for.

He settled her on the couch, after Maggie and Tara had cleaned her up, and pulled up a chair next to her. As they gazed into each other's tear filled eyes, words seemed almost useless.

Rick and Michonne came in the door a few minutes later. "We told everyone what happened and asked them to give you two some space," Rick said as his voice cracked in despair, "Carol, I am...Terminus...what are we going..." He could no longer talk as his thoughts overwhelmed him.

"If you need us, just holler," said Michonne as she a led visibly upset Rick from the room and closed the door behind them.

"Daryl, I can't believe I was so stupid to do what I did. What was I thinking?" said Carol, as they gazed at each other.

Before she knew what was happening, Daryl collapsed to his knees next to the couch and grabbed her two hands. He began to sob, "Carol, my rose, my Cherokee rose, what have I done!? I should have gotten to you. I should have made it. I am so sorry...so, damn, sorry."

"Daryl, no, please! This isn't your fault. I should have stayed with you and we could have checked out the car together. Please don't cry...honey, please. Look at me." He shook his head in refusal and she demanded again, "Daryl, look at me." He slowly caught her eyes and noticed how they were rimmed in red, but she was calm. "I have so much to tell you, things I thought I would have time to share. I have had feelings for you for so long, that I can't think of a time when I didn't. I think it all started when you made Sophia your one man mission. You stepped up and took it upon yourself to find my baby. My precious girl..." she stopped as she took a deep breath before she continued, "I love you, I know I do. I only wish I hadn't been so scared. I wanted to tell you... I just didn't want to scare you off."

"Scare me off? Scare me off? Let me show you how being scared was the furthest thing from my mind." He wiped his eyes and reached into his pocket. Carol's eyes grew wide when she saw the simple gold band laying in the palm of his hand. "I found this at that department store we went through last week and knew eventually, I would want to give to you. It is nothing fancy, but then, neither are we." "He broke into a small smile, but continued, " Carol, you make me a better man. You have helped me work through so much...oh, hell, how am I going to go on without you!? I love you, my rose, love you so much." He stood up, gently scooped her into his lap and held her close.

"Daryl, we wasted so much time. Why did we think we had forever?" she wept as he caressed the sides of her face.

He gently kissed her on the lips and sighed. It felt like coming home. He took the kiss deeper, careful not to bump where she got scratched. She opened her mouth in invitation and their tongues met with gentle loving strokes. It took them both a moment to realize that their tears were mixed with their kisses. They pulled apart, but he spoke against her lips, " . ."

Emotionally exhausted, they spent the next fews hours laying on the couch, holding each other, and dozing on and off as dusk settled in. Eventually they woke when they heard the group outside. They were not quite ready to invite them in just yet. "Hey, I have an idea, "said Daryl as he got up to stretch his legs.

"What Daryl?" said Carol as he helped her lift herself gently to a sitting position again.

"Nevermind, dumb idea," he said as he shook his head. She looked imploringly at him and after a moment's hesitation, he continued as he dropped to one knee. "It's simple. I love you and want to marry you. Whether I would have been able to spend years with you, or a day or two. I know this is what I want. Let's have the happiness we deserve right now, in this moment." His voice became strong and confident as he said, "Will you marry me?"

Through tears of bitter sweet joy, she replied, "Yes, Daryl, I will marry you."


	3. Chapter 3

"Thank you," he said as he kissed her eyes. "Thank you," he said as he kissed her nose. "Thank you," he said as he kissed her lips.

"You're welcome Pookie," she replied with a smile as they sat with foreheads touching just enjoying being in each other's space.

He got up and pulled her onto his lap because he wanted to feel all of her. As she snuggled into his chest, she began to cough. He saw her wince and he was immediately filled with dread. "Carol, are you ok!?"

She nodded her head as the coughing subsided and said, "Yes, Daryl, it just hurts because the scratch goes across my stomach."

Her comment slapped Daryl with the realization that if they were going to get married, he needed to move quickly. "Carol, I'm going to ask the group to come in, so that we can tell them what we want to do." He set her gently on the couch and as he stood, he placed his fingers under her chin and brought her eyes to his. "I don't want another minute to go by without making you...my, my wife," he whispered as his eyes filled with tears.

As he turned to go to the door, he ran his hands down his face and heard Carol say, "Hurry, I don't want anybody else laying claim to my man." He turned to look at her and they both burst out laughing.

Carol heard Daryl talking in hushed tones so as not to arouse any unwanted visitors and asked everyone to come inside the house. Once the whole group was in there Daryl went and sat next to Carol. He wanted to speak, but when he started to speak, he shook his head because his throat closed with the sheer volume of sadness that overwhelmed him.

Carol grasped his hands and as she looked around the group, she was moved deeply by the tears she saw in everyone's eyes. Taking a deep breath she began, "Look, stupid mistakes brought us to where we are at right now. We can't change that. However, Daryl and I have done some serious soul searching over the last few hours and have decided to get married." She held up her hand as she heard a gasp amongst the group. "We know it sounds awkward, strange even, but bottom line is, Daryl and I love each other very much. We just regret that it took something like this to get us to express to one another how we really felt."

"We are hoping that Father Gabriel will marry us...right here, right now." stated Daryl after he had pulled himself together. "We just don't know how much longer Carol has, and we want to be able to spend her last quality moments as husband and wife. Father Gabriel, will you please marry us?"

"Absolutely, let me go get my bible," Gabriel replied as he hurried out of the house.

While he was gone, Daryl looked at Rick and Michonne, "Carol and I would love for you two to be our maid-of-honor and best man. Will you?"

"Sure." said Rick at the same time Michonne said, "Absolutely."

Father Gabriel came back and as the group gathered around, Daryl helped Carol to her feet. She began to cough, and Daryl held her up while the coughing spell doubled her over. He whispered sweet nothings to her as he rubbed her back until the spell subsided.

"Ok, Father Gabriel, I am ready," said Carol as she stood back up. Rick and Michonne took their places and as Daryl supported her, the ceremony began. When it came time for the vows, Carol decided to say hers first.

"Daryl, you are my everything. I wish that I could have told you sooner, how very much I love you. You have helped me more times than I can count. From the moment you stepped up to look for Sophia, to finding me in the tombs, to helping rescue me from the hospital...the list goes on and on." She paused for a second to compose herself, "Th-Thank you for helping me find myself, find a good man in you and for always, always being my hero. I love you with all my heart and will miss you so very much."

She squeezed Daryl's hand as her tears fell and he began, "I am not very good with the words like Carol is, but here goes. I love you Carol, and tried my best to take care of you. You helped me through some tough stuff and helped me realized that there are good people willing to go to out of their way for me. We have grown together and I am not sure how I will make it without you by my side. You are my best friend, my rose, my love. I am going to miss you too...oh my God, how am I going to do this!," he yelled as he wrapped her in his arms and sobbed into her neck.

She held on to him while Father Gabriel said the closing words and then whispered into his ear, "Daryl, come on my sweet, let's visit. I need you to help me set up on the couch and hold me close."

He pulled back from her and stared at her amazing state of calm. She wiped his eyes and they went and settled in on the couch. They visited with the group sharing stories of the few humorous times they all spent together. It became late and people said their goodbyes.

They made their way to the bed and he got her comfortable. "Carol, wife, try to get some sleep. I will keep watch on the outside and make sure you are comfortable, ok?"

"Please don't leave me Daryl, I'm scared."

"I'm not going anywhere."


	4. Chapter 4

Throughout the night both Carol and Daryl had a hard time sleeping and eventually gave up trying. Neither one of them said anything, but it was understood their time was short. They just laid in bed together holding each other, whispering sweet words and sharing passionate kisses.

As the sun came up, Daryl looked at Carol and in the light, saw how much she had weakened during the night. She had not let on that anything was amiss other than saying her stomach hurt from the scratch. He looked her in the eyes and quietly asked, "Wife, how are you feeling? Are you in any pain? Can I get you anything?"

She replied weakly, "I would like some water please. I am hot and my throat is so dry." Unbeknownst to her, she had been taking sips of water all night long.

"Sure, let me grab some more from the kitchen," said Daryl as he got up off the bed.

"Daryl," he stopped and turned to her with such pain in his eyes. "Please bring the others in here. I can feel the exhaustion coming on faster and I want to say goodbye, before I can't remember them being with me."

His voice held a profound sadness as he answered, "Yes, I will. Give me a minute to wake them up, ok, my rose?"

"Sure Pookie, no problem," as she closed her eyes and laid her head back on the pillow.

He closed the bedroom door behind him and sank to his knees. The tears filled his eyes and spilled over onto his cheeks as he struggled to maintain some type of control. Now was not the time to fall apart. Now was the time to do what his wife had asked of him. Wiping his face, he stood up and made his way outside only to find a majority of the group gathered on the front porch.

"We found that none of us could really sleep last night," Rick said as he grabbed Daryl's shoulder and gave it a supportive squeeze. "We wanted to be here for whatever you needed."

Daryl bit his lip as he said, "Carol wants you all to come now, she says she is tired and wants to be able to say goodbye while she can."

Abraham, Rosita, Eugene and Tara went with Daryl into the house first. After a few minutes, they came out with red rimmed eyes and walked down the driveway a bit to collect themselves.

A loud sob escaped Maggie as she made her way up the porch steps with Glenn and Sasha. Maggie still struggled with the loss of Beth not too long ago. They entered Carol's room and were distraught at how fragile Carol looked already. She smiled weakly at them and said, "Glenn, Maggie, promise me that you will keep the faith of loving another person alive. It is good for the group to see that through the two of you, there can be sun in the midst of all this dark. Will you do that for me?"

"Of course we will," said Glenn as he held onto Maggie while she wept. They each took turns giving Carol a hug goodbye and she gently whispered, "I love you," to both of them.

"Sasha, I want to thank you again for your help with getting me out of the hospital. I know how hard things have been recently with the loss of Bob and Tyreese. Stay strong and know how much the group relies on you," Carol sàid. Sasha nodded as she leaned over and and hugged Carol telling her, "You will always hold a place in my heart for getting us out of Terminus, Carol."

They left the room with heavy hearts as Carol turned to Daryl who sat quietly next to her stroking her arm. "Daryl, thank you for being here. I know this isn't easy for you, but I love the strength that I draw from you in order to do this. It brings peace to my heart."

He caressed her cheek as they heard a noise at the door. "This is the only place I want to be my wife," he whispered in her ear as Rick, Michonne, Carl and Judith came in.

Rick struggled to stay strong as he saw Carol laying on the bed. Her eyes had lost their blue sparkle and she looked worn out. Carl and Judith walked up to Carol first and Carol held out her arms to hold Judith. "Hey Judy-Boodie, how's my sweet girl?" asked Carol with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

"Caro, Caro! Hi Caro!" said Judith as she touched Carol's cheeks. "Cry? No cry Caro."

"It's ok sweet pea, Carol is just happy to get sugar from her Judy-Boodie. Give me a kiss." Judith leaned over and gave Carol a big smack and then jumped down and ran to Michonne. Michonne scooped her up and held her close.

Carl went over and sat down by Carol, but would not make eye contact with her. Carol saw the tears as they rolled down his cheeks and nose. She grabbed his hand, "Carl, look at me." He looked up at her and said abruptly, "This sucks! This whole thing freakin sucks! You know what!? Now is a time I wish we were in a jumbo jet. Right now! You wouldn't be...dy-dying if we were in that plane!"

"I know, Carl, I know." She thought back to the time when they were on guard duty at the prison and they had that conversation. She was surprised he remembered that. "Carl, promise me you will be safe. Always make safe choices and help your dad take care of Judith. I am so proud of you Carl and I love you."

He stood up and went to his dad to get comfort only Rick could give him. He tucked himself in Rick's neck and a sob filled "I love you too," could be heard. Rick shook his head and caught Carol's eye. "Carol, I know we have not always agreed on how things happened with the group. I know one thing is for sure. I will never forget how you saved us from Terminus. When I think of what they could have done to Carl...I can't breathe at the thought. Thank you for always stepping up to take care of whatever needed to be done. We could always count on you. I am sorry that we didn't get to...to you in time. I love you Carol and I promise you that I will take care of your husband."

Carol's shoulders shook with the emotion she felt over Rick's words. "Thank you Rick, I love you too. You taught me so much and I know deep down, that if I hadn't been part of your group, I would have died long ago. Take care of these precious babies." He nodded his head and went over to get Judith from Michonne.

Michonne leaned over to Carol and whispered quietly, "I am not a woman of many words, as you know. The thing I do know, is you saved me from a gruesome death. Thank you for that and thank you for becoming a total bad ass. Much love girl."

"Love you too Michonne. Watch out for Rick and the kids," said Carol with a smirk. Michonne turned, grabbed the handle of her katana and said, "No worries."

Over the next few hours Carol's health deteriorated quickly. Daryl never left her side and made sure she was comfortable.

"I love you my handsome husband," Carol whispered between shortened breaths. "You are so wonderful and have such a caring soul. I am so lucky to have known you and I promise Sophia and I will watch over you. Remember, what we talked about. Look for the signs I send you...a breeze that smells like me, a Cherokee Rose in bloom, a mention of my name...it will be me."

He looked into her eyes as he ran his fingers gently through her hair, "I love you my rose. You have given me so much joy in such a horrible time. You are an amazing woman and I was so lucky to meet you." His voice was thick as he murmured, "It's ok now Carol, you can let go."

She closed her eyes, relaxed into her pillow and after a few more minutes, Carol drew in a few more breaths and did just that.

Daryl began to sob loudly as he took his knife out and made sure she would be at peace forever.


	5. Chapter 5

Daryl left the bedroom and made his way down the stairs. The instant he stepped outside, the group stopped talking and turned to him. He looked around and said, "She's gone...my precious Carol is gone." He wiped the tears from his eyes and thickly said, "Rick, I am going out to gather some things that I want to have for her burial. I will be back in a bit. Watch over her and don't let anything happen to her."

"One of us will go with you. I don't think you are in the right frame of mind to be by yourself," said Rick as he walked towards Daryl.

"NO!", yelled Daryl as he grabbed his cross bow and started down the stairs. "I can handle things myself dammit! I just want to take care of this alone. Is that so hard to understand!? I'm outta here." The pain in his voice was evident, so they respected his wishes and let him go.

He made his way quietly through a dense section of trees until he came to the small river that they had found a few days ago. Along the banks of the river, it was overrun with several kinds of wildflowers, but more importantly, there was a ton of Cherokee roses. He grabbed the pack off of his back and began to fill it. While doing so, his mind wandered to the first time he gave Carol the rose. She was in Dale's camper, distraught over Sophia, and he thought she might like it. He was mad that all he could find was a lousy beer bottle to put it in. His beautiful, precious wife and all he could find was a beer bottle...really!? The more he thought about the beer bottle, the more upset he became. He stood up and began to pace back and forth. A beer bottle!? Tears of frustration creeped into his eyes when he thought about how tacky that was. His boots made scuff marks in the mud as his whole body tensed at the same resounding thing over and over. Beer bottle, beer bottle, beer...

"I'm so sorry that all I could find was that bottle Carol. You deserved a beautiful vase..." Suddenly, he collapsed to the ground as his sobs wracked his body. As he looked up in the sky, tears covered his face. "I'm so sorry all I had was that beer bottle, my love...so, so, so sorry. I should have been there. I should have protected you, killed that bastard before he got to you! Please forgive me. Will you ever be able to forgive the fact that I failed you?"

Carol's heart ached as she watched him suffer from up above. She sent her first sign in hopes he would catch it.

After pulling himself together, he completely filled his pack with the flowers and left the riverbank. His pack and cross bow were both on the same shoulder and some how became tangled. Focusing on that, he didn't see the rock jutting up from the ground. He tripped over it, causing him to stumble and catch himself before he hit ground. As he straightened himself out, a green flash caught his eye. He picked it up realizing it was a piece of jasper. His breath caught at how ironic it was to find that rock, at that time. Or was it? Carol talked about signs before she died and he thought she was just saying those things to make him feel better. He scraped the mud off of it and stuck it in his pocket thinking it would look nice right next to the cross.

Daryl arrived back at the house and as he walked up to it, he heard a scraping sound. He went around the back only to see Glenn and Abraham digging a nice place for Carol to be buried. It was in the shade under a nice tree. He was touched by their thoughtfulness in getting it ready. They looked up at him approaching and with a head nod, he conveyed his thanks before he turned around and went into the house.

As the sun moved across the evening sky, Daryl carried Carol, wrapped in a lovely lace covered sheet that Michonne had found in a closet upstairs, and set her down. Glenn and Abraham began to cover her with dirt as Father Gabriel said a few small prayers. Rick and Michonne stood on each side of Daryl as the group stood around the grave, seeming to take a defensive stance against anyone who may come across her gravesite in the future.

When they had completely covered her up, Daryl went to his pack and opened it up. "When I was searching for Sophia, I had come across some Cherokee roses that reminded me of Carol. I gave one to her and told her the story behind them. From then on, it was, I guess you could say, "our flower." She and I found a patch of them down by the river, so I went and picked them today. I want this to be as beautiful as it can be...for...her." His throat burned as he tried to hold back his tears. "I want all of us to take a rose and place it around the base of her site. Kind of like a wall of protection." Everyone came to Daryl as he handed them the flowers and they began to lay them out. When they were finished, it looked like an angel's halo.

"It looks beautiful Daryl. What a nice idea that was," said Michonne as they all stayed with her, not really wanting to leave.

"Thanks Michonne. I know she would have liked it." He walked over to where the wooden cross was that Carl had made for her. Daryl didn't even realize it until he knelt down by it, that Carl had taken the time and carved "Carol" on it. Swallowing the lump that instantly formed in his throat, he took out the piece of jasper and his final rose and set them both next to it.

The group left Daryl to say his final goodbye in private, as they prepared to pull out the next day. He wanted one more moment with her, so he laid down next to her and cried. "Take care my sweet Carol. I will love you and cherish the time we had together until the day I die."


	6. Chapter 6

Early the next morning the group prepared to move out again before the day became too hot. Daryl walked over to Carol's grave, knelt down beside it and quietly said, "Carol, my wife, we are moving out. I promise I will come back when the herds thin out around here. I know you are at peace now and hope that you are loving your girls once again. I love you and think about you all the time. Be back soon, I promise." He picked up the piece of jasper, kissed it and put it back by the cross.

"Daryl, we have to go," Rick's voice said from behind as he picked up Judith.

"Yeah, I know. I'm coming," replied Daryl as he grabbed his crossbow and headed toward him.

She watched as the group made their way across the field to take cover by the treeline. "Momma, whatcha lookin'at?" said Sophia as she walked up and grabbed her mom's hand.

"I'm watching Daryl honey. I want to make sure he is safe and knows that I love and miss him."

"I have been watching a long time momma. He knows that you love him. I knew he was good because you talked about how he never stopped looking for me. How he did more for me than my daddy ever did. I saw how you took care of each other. You would tease each other. I saw it momma," said Sophia as she pulled Carol down to her. "Send him signs. He will know it's you."

"I will my girl, I will." The moment was interrupted when they heard a commotion behind them.

"Carol, Carol, Carol!," said Mika as she ran over to them and threw her arms around Carol's neck. "I am so glad to see you! I missed you, but Hershel and Sophia have been helping me so I wasn't all by myself."

"Mika! Oh my gosh! I am so happy to see you," said Carol as her eyes filled with tears. She pulled back and looked at both girls. "You found each other? I am so happy that you have been taking care of one another. My beautiful girls." She grabbed them both and felt her heart expand.

The group had walked most of the day, but hadn't made much progress due to herd activity limiting which direction they could travel. Daryl was preoccupied most of the day and Rick tried to be understanding, but became more irritated as the evening progressed. They came across an abandoned office building next to a small subdivision. Luckily enough, there were couches in the offices that could be slept on that would be more comfortable than the floor. Gathering in what looked like a board room, they ate some of the supplies and got ready for bed.

Daryl was settling in on his couch when there was a knock at the door. "Yeah?" he replied in an irritated tone.

"Can I come in?" Rick responded.

"Sure, whatever," Daryl said as he sat up and stretched his legs out in front of him. He relit the candle he had blown out before he had settled in.

"I need to talk to you for a minute, Daryl. I know you are hurting right now. Been there, done that. Having said that, you really need to focus when we are out moving. I could tell your mind was elsewhere and you are not safe for yourself or anyone else like that. We need you focused as hard as that may be."

"Wait a minute. Am I hearing you right!? Are YOU actually telling me that I am not stepping up for the safety of the group!? Seriously? This from the man who, after his wife died, lost his mind, so to speak. Rick, you bailed on everyone in the group after Lori died. Even your own kids, one who was a newborn! Carol died yesterday. YESTERDAY! I am sorry if my grieving gets in the way of the group, but don't you dare come in here and tell me that I should be focused. I will do my damn job. Eventually, days will get easier. For now, leave me the hell alone!"

They held eye contact until Rick saw the tears start forming in Daryl's eyes. "Sorry man. You're right. I guess I am irritated about our lack of progress today and took it out on you. You have every right to be in pain and I would be a shit friend if I didn't keep that in mind. Again, sorry."

Daryl grunted a muffled response as Rick opened the door. "Try and get some sleep."

The door closed behind him and Daryl went back to the couch. He was going to lay back down when he got a cut on something shoved in the couch. He pulled it out and looked at it. It was an envelope from some kind of card. The only thing written on it was the name "Carol." With that, he dropped the envelope and began to cry. "Carol! I miss you so much right now, I can't breathe. Thank you for your sign, my love. I know you are listening. This is so much harder than I ever imagined. How am I suppose to wake up every day knowing you are not here. Knowing I won't hear 'pretty romantic, wanna screw around?' ever again. I just don't know how to do any of this, without you. Fight the fight, without you. Survive, without you. Love, without you..." In that moment pure exhaustion took over and Daryl fell asleep grasping the envelope.

Carol, Sophia and Mika watched, as Daryl went from standing his ground against Rick, to falling apart over the envelope she had left, the next. Tears silently fell down Carol's cheeks as her heart was full of pain for her Daryl. Sophia squeezed one hand, while Mika squeezed the other as Carol said to them, "He is right. This is just so hard! On one hand I have my girls with me and on the other hand, I have to watch the man I love, lose himself."

They stood in silence as Carol tried to figure out how to watch the people she loves, fight for their lives every day.

"You will learn how to make it Carol," said a gravelly voice from behind her.

She spun around with a huge smile on her face, "Hershel!"


	7. Chapter 7

A week later, Daryl woke with a terrible headache. He was pissed because, since Carol had died, he always seemed to have a headache. "Guess it goes along with the pain in my heart," he mumbled to himself as he pulled on his boots. He dreamt of Carol last night. She was in the tombs and he was heartbroken. He listened to that damn door bang again and again. Stupid zombie! He tried to ignore it, but eventually, it got on his last nerve. When he moved the dead walker that was preventing the door from opening, he would have never guessed who was on the other side. His beloved Carol had been there for a while...his heartache increased tenfold at the thought of being able to rescue her that time, but not this time.

A knock at the door broke him from his thoughts as he said, "Come in."

Glenn walked in and handed Daryl some food. "We already ate, but when you didn't show up, we wanted to make sure you ate something before we took off."

"I'm not hungry," grumbled Daryl as he threw the food on the couch.

"Daryl, you have to eat something. Everyone has noticed how you have hardly eaten at all over the last few days. You won't be able to keep up our pace unless you do."

"What pace Glenn!? We've maybe made it about 5 miles since we left Carol because the damn herds keep shifting our direction. That's not progress, that's on pace to become walker bait!"

"I know you are frustrated Daryl, but we have to keep..."

"Bullshit Glenn! I am tired of everyone trying to tell me 'what I should be thinking' or 'what I should be doing' or my personal favorite, 'It will get easier with time.' People seem to forget that for over 2 years, Carol was my life!" He continued with a voice full of pain, "My wife. My soulmate. The person who completed me. She made me a better man dammit...and now...now...I have nothing but an ache in my heart and a hole in my spirit."

He grabbed his crossbow and took off out the door. Glenn followed behind him in a rush as Daryl threw the door open and stalked up to the group. All eyes turned to him as he slammed his crossbow on the table. "I am going to tell y'all the same thing I told Glenn. I don't need a babysitter. I can take care of myself and don't need people worrying about whether or not I am eating." A few tears began to fall as he continued, "I am dealing with this the best way I know how, so I am asking...no, I am telling you to leave me alone and let me take care of myself. I will figure this out on my own. I will do my job and help keep the group safe. I promise. I just need...some time."

He looked up at the concerned faces of the entire group and whispered, "Please."

Hershel gave her a squeeze as Carol watched Daryl continue to fall apart. She knew he would struggle, but the depth of his despair really shook her up. "Hershel, I leave signs for him everyday. I want him to know that I am still here and that it is ok to keep going. It just seems to be making it worse. I wish I knew what else I could do that would help him." She continued to wipe the tears that fell from her eyes.

He turned her so she could see him. "Carol, there isn't anything else you can do. Daryl has to make his own choices and we can only watch and hope it is best for him. They hurt, they struggle, they fall and they pick themselves back up again. We both know that Daryl protects and loves with his whole self. A person like that can feel a loneliness that few people can comprehend. Keep loving him and sending him signs. All we can do is hope that he is able to start healing on his own."

"It is just so hard, Hershel. Devastatingly hard."


	8. Chapter 8

Daryl slammed his hands on the table as the group sat there trying to figure out what direction they should head out. "We have been stuck here for days and now it looks like the herd has finally cleared out," Daryl said with an edge to his voice. "I don't think we can do any worse, no matter what direction we go right now. The weather looks like it might kick up later, so let's do this!"

Everyone had been stepping lightly around Daryl for quite a while and with this latest outburst, Abraham had had enough.

"Look Daryl, I am really sorry for all that you are going through. I cannot even imagine your pain. That being said, you need to settle down. It is exhausting to be around you. The stress we live in now. It is hard enough without having to walk on pins and needles. 'Will we say the wrong thing and set you off?' 'Will we do the wrong thing?' I actually find myself going out of my way to stay away from you and that is no way to live. It isn't fair to you and it isn't fair to me. Please let us help you."

"Do all of you feel this way?," Daryl asked as he looked around the room. "Should I settle down and let you help me? Should I forget about the fact that I buried my wife less than two weeks ago? Huh? Should I!?"

Rick walked up to Daryl and said, "That is not what Abraham meant and you know it! A few days ago, you asked us to leave you be and let you work through things on your own. We tried, Daryl...we did. But we can see how fast you are fading and we are extremely worried."

"Is this how you all feel?," asked Daryl angrily. Most of the group nodded as he made eye contact with each of them. "I see...Daryl's struggling so instead of being his friend, let's just tell him to get over it. Then our lives will be easier. You know what? Screw you guys! You want to be able to breathe easier? Fine. I'm outta here!"

They all jumped up and pleads of 'No, Daryl' and 'Hold on' were heard.

He boots knocked loudly in the hall as he angrily stepped into his room and grabbed his pack. His crossbow hit the door jam as he turned around and slammed into Rick.

"Rick, get outta my way man. I don't want to..."

"Slow your roll Daryl!" Rick interrupted. "No one is telling you to leave. We are not bailing on you. We just want to see if we can find a way to help you."

"Don't want your help...just want my wife back!" After a few deep breaths he continued. "Look, you guys will be fine. The group is strong and quite capable of taking care of each other." He grabbed Rick's shoulder and simply said, "I am going back to Carol. I can survive on my own. Rick, I can't leave her...I just can't," he finished on a quiet sob.

Daryl stopped in the kitchenette to grab a little food and a few bottles of water. Meanwhile, Rick went into the meeting room and informed everyone that Daryl was going back to Carol and if they wanted to say goodbye, they better get outside.

When Daryl stepped outside he was surprised to see everyone out there. He was given several hugs and heard more pleas to stay, but he vowed to get moving. "I just have to go. I have to get back to Carol." He turned to Rick, grabbed him in a man hug/handshake thing and simply said, "Thanks for everything Rick. Come back if you need to. I will be there."

He turned around and started down the road. After a few hours, he noticed the weather was getting worse, the closer he got to the farmhouse where Carol was buried. The rain began to fall as he made his way up the driveway. He walked around to the back of the house and saw her grave. The mere sight of it brought him to his knees. "Oh, my sweet rose. My love, my Carol. I just couldn't be away from you anymore." Sobs wracked his body as the storm kicked up. The rain came down heavier and the thunder and lightening put on quite a show. He crawled toward her grave as the rain mixed with his tears. "I'm staying here with you Carol. I know you would rather have me stay with the group, but I had to be here."

He made it next to her and sat down. He looked up through the trees as the rain pelted his face. He was hoping to stay outside with her, but knew he needed to get inside until the storm passed. He stood up, but at the same time he bent over to pick up his pack and crossbow, a bolt of lightening struck the tree and snapped a giant branch off simultaneously. Before he had the chance to react, the branch fell on him piercing him through the lung and pinning him to the ground. He tried to move the branch, but was too weak from lack of food. The pain in his chest was overwhelming as he struggled, but eventually, he gave up. He knew this was the last thing he would do, because there was no one around to help him. His breathing became labored as his lungs began to fill with fluid. "Carol, my sweet Carol..."

Carol, Sophia and Mika watched as Daryl struggled under the branch. "Momma, do something! Isn't there something we can do to help him!?," exclaimed Sophia. "I am afraid not my sweet. All we can do is be with him, give him comfort and wrap him in our love," said Carol as she walked away from the girls.

Carol's spirit landed by Daryl and she grabbed his hand. "I am here Daryl. Can you feel me as I wrap my arms around you? You will feel no pain my love. I will stay with you until the end. You are my one, my only, and I am giving you peace." She gently stroked his face and let him feel her presence.

Daryl laid under the branch gasping for breath whispering "Carol...Carol...Carol..." Suddenly he felt a warmth take over his body and gentle fingers caressing his face. He knew it was his Rose, his wife, his Carol. With that he took his final breath...

"Daryl! Daryl! Rick yelled as he ran up and saw Daryl laying trapped under the branch. He flung himself on the ground attempting to lift it off of him when he realized that Daryl had already died. "Nooooooooooooooooo," Rick cried out in agony as other members of the group arrived. "I won't let you turn, Daryl. I refuse to let you turn!" Rick took out his knife and with uncontrollable sobs, he plunged the knife into Daryl's skull.

Carol watched as the group stood in the storm sobbing over the loss of their beloved friend Daryl. She sent feelings of peace and a sign that even though they were gone, both her and Daryl were still with them.

While she watched, she heard the most beautiful sound, "Carol, my love." She turned around to see her handsome husband standing there with his arms outstretched. She took off running and leaped into his arms. "I can't believe it! I can't believe you are here!" She peppered his face with kisses and he simply replied, "You are my love, my wife, my Carol. Our love knows no boundaries. I will be with you forever."

In that moment, Daryl was greeted by Sophia and Mika, who flung themselves at him. "We are so glad you are here with us, Daryl. We know that you will take care good care of us."

As he embraced the three of them he said, "You know I will! I finally got all my girls with me."


End file.
